San Jose Mercury News technology writer Troy Wolverton tells me this a “crummy deal.” He says Verizon Wireless is jacking up the prices for its data services, doubling them in some cases. He adds that many customers will be paying the same amount or more for phone services as they did before.

Verizon Wireless spokesman Michael Murphy says that while some customers will see higher bills, many plans are cheaper with more shared data and minutes.

Wolverton says some Verizon Wireless customers currently have low cost plans with 450 minutes, no messages, and 2 GB of data for about $70/month. He says the minimum amount those customers would pay under the new plan is $90. That gets a customer unlimited messages and calls, but only 1 GB of data. Wolverton says to keep the 2 GB they now have, those customers would have to pay $100.

Other companies are expected to follow Verizon’s lead with these types of packaged plans.